Dr. C. O. Karunakaran, a notable physician, bacteriologist and microbiologist, was the founder of

Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram The Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, is a public medical college in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Founded in 1951, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and is Kerala's first ever Medical College. Its camp ...

. He was the first

Principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

of the college and was also the Special Officer appointed for establishing the first medical university in the erstwhile state of Travancore-Cochin.

Early life

Born in 1892 at

Mavelikkara Mavelikkara () is a municipality in the Onattukara Region of Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 ...

, C.O. Karunakaran had his initial schooling in Mavelikkara Government High School. After the intermediate in

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam The Maharaja's College is a Public university, government college located in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Established in 1875, it is one of the oldest colleges in India. Located in the heart of the city, the college campus is spread ov ...

he joined

Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia. History The Government General Hospital was established ...

for

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

Academic life

Following his study in Madras Medical College, he completed DPH, DTMH and DB from

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. He worked for a short period as the Medical Officer of an estate and then as the Health Officer of Thiruvananthapuram. Later he took over as the Superintendent of Public Health Laboratory near Civil Hospital (present Trivandrum General Hospital) at Thiruvananthapuram. Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer realising his abilities, sent him to United States of America for industrial training. When he returned he improvised the laboratory and in 1948, he was appointed as the Special Officer for establishing the first medical college in the state of Travancore-Cochin at Trivandrum. With his effort the plans for construction of the

was finalised in a year and construction of the college completed in just 16 months. He was appointed as the first principal of Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram and Professor of Microbiology. Realizing his dream for getting maximum international exposure to the students of the college, World Health Organization at his request sent the then DHS of Sweden, Dr. Axel J. Hojer as an expert. Dr. C.O. Karunakaran then stepped down as Principal and gave the Principalship to Dr. Hojer and continued as Vice Principal under him.. He was also instrumental in bringing many international experts including Dr.

Alexander Fleming Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish physician and microbiologist, best known for discovering the world's first broadly effective antibiotic substance, which he named penicillin. His discovery in 1928 of wha ...

to the college. He has also served as a member and Dean of Senate and Syndicate of the

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...

. He had been the Chairman of Travancore Medical Council and President of

Indian Medical Association The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is a private, national voluntary organisation of physicians in India. It was established in 1928 as the All India Medical Association, and was renamed the Indian Medical Association in 1930. It is a society r ...

from 1958 to 1959. He was awarded the RajyaSevaNirata award by Sri Chitra Tirunal considering his contributions to the country. The first voicing for family planning in India was by Dr. C.O. Karunakaran in his famous Karthikapally speech in 1925. In 1957 he himself was behind the family planning drive started in Kerala and was the chief adviser of State Family Planning Board and Family Planning Communication Research project. He died on 30 November 1970. In his will he had stated that no state honours or religious rituals be performed at his funeral. It also had stated that the body should not be kept for more than six hours.

Family

He is the son of

Alummoottil Alummoottil is an Indian aristocratic Ezhava family (Tharavad) in Karthikapally Thaluk of Alappuzha district in Kerala. The family was at its financial peak during the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. AP Udayabhanu's novel ''"Ente Kadha Il ...

Padeettathil Ummini Kunju Channar and Kunjupennu Channatti. His elder brother, C.O. Madhavan was the Chief Secretary and first

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Thiruvananthapuram city Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

. His younger brother Dr. C.O. Damodaran was the Commissioner of

Kerala Public Service Commission The Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) is a government body in the state of Kerala, India, responsible for recruiting candidates for various state government jobs through competitive examinations. It was established in 1956 by the provision ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karunakaran, C. O. Indian bacteriologists 1892 births 1970 deaths People from Alappuzha district Madras Medical College alumni Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni Scientists from Thiruvananthapuram Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of London 20th-century Indian biologists